The Supremes

Back In My Arms Again

The Supremes

Back In My Arms Again

Unreal was the only way to describe The Supremes' winning streak: Back In My Arms Again was the lovely trio's fifth number one pop entry in a row (it also paced the R&B charts), making them America's greatest weapon against the British Invasion. Less than a year earlier, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard were hoping for the breakthrough that had bafflingly eluded them since 1961, only to have Where Did Our Love Go, Baby Love, Come See About Me, and Stop! In The Name Of Love consecutively achieve million-selling glory.

That amazing feat was in large part due to the creative efforts of Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier. They wrote all five of those blockbusters, Brian and Lamont handling the production end. "It was incredible. I mean, it was just unbelievable. You felt like you were walking a little bit off the ground," says Dozier. "It was just–oh, I can't explain it. It was just surreal." - "It was happening so fast, and we were so wrapped up in the work that I can just remember it being one of those type of things, 'Let me pinch myself to see if this is a dream!'" says Eddie. "It was that type of a thing. It was a very euphoric feeling, a very up feeling. It's just like going to the end of the rainbow and finding that pot of gold."

"It's like the hits kept coming," says Mary Wilson of their unprecedented streak. "Holland-Dozier-Holland worked with us on every aspect of the songs. We would always do our input, but that particular area was pretty much designated to Lamont Dozier. So Florence and I would work with Lamont." For Back In My Arms Again, H-D-H brought back the stomp beat that had powered Where Did Our Love Go, and Diana was as kittenish as ever. So hot were The Supremes that when their next

H-D-H-helmed offering, Nothing But Heartaches, 'only' made it to #11 pop and #6 R&B, it was a disappointment for all concerned.